New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-05
ORGANIZED LABOR.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF IT'S WORK AND
AIMS, BY IT'S LEADERS.

York: The NJ. W. Hazen Co.
No humane or just person close this book
without q feeling Of profound sadness. What
weary struggles what countless sacrifices, what
heroic and de> Oted efforts the worin men OF this
country have made to secure the ends of justice OF
which they were thoroughly convinced. How
often it has appeared that the most costly sacrt
fees and the most long suffering herosm were
wholly thrown away How rarely has the loss
been in any measure prOportioned to the end AT
tanned. How many times have homes been
wrecked and lives laid the altar in desperate
struggles for CHANGES which, when SUPP orted by
one clear, persuasive and convincing argument.
were at once obtained with little opposition. And
on the other hand. how stubborn and blind has
been the resistance OF employers and OF public opn
ion to many reforms, the Iightfulness OF winch.
one would SUPP Ose. every reasonable person would
at once have recognized
This work is a most inadequate account OF q
struggle which concerns the welfare OF every CIV
zen Could that struggle be rightly UNDERSTOOD
could il. essons of success or failure in the past be
Justly appreciated. that alOne wonld do more 10
advance the cause of labor than all the strikes ever
iraugurated. Bat ono searches this book In vain
for snch a revelation. 1t is q book of very unequal
merit. Portions of much value; others ire
ouite valueless In some branches Of industry. the
better things is definitely traced it'll intelligent
accounts of every step, with frank recognition OF
mistakes and just appreciation Of results attained.
In other parts of the work, in the history OF
mining and tho miscellaneous trades there Is little
beside a trooping of ghosts OF dead organizations
across the stage with weary lists of names but NOT
single clear glimpse of the real condition o1 isoor
or the object souaht at any time, or the enos
attained or the means employed. or the reasons for
success or failure. Scarcely anywhere uuess 1t Dc
in the history Of the iron industry, Is information
given to enable readers to judge whether the
wages received were reasonable or not. or whether
the condition of business generally justified or pre-
clu.ed An advance In wages. The almost universal
toneof the writer's is to assume that every contem-
plated or conceivable advance In wages or re-
duction in hours Of work was rednred by justice.
and that every opposition to such demands WAS
heartless and wicked. In parts of the book the
shalowest and cheapest demagogism runs riot !;
labor ID represented rs always saiutly in purpose
and wise in plan. and tendish capital Is depicted as
o monster, revealing in the blood and agony OF It's
victims But in other parts each line breatnes the
spr,, of ths Sermon ON the MOnUt, forbearaDce and
charity are not only preached but practised, and
the Christian brotherhood toward which true ana
noble men of all occupations are striving Is
brought nearer bv wise counsel and noble thought
by DR.. 4. j. James. of the University Of Pennsy-
yania IS a creditable review OF sucs general facts
o. can he Gro wdsi within the compass of sixty-sx
pages IL is especially valuable In bringing ont
clearly how the ancient gui combined both eth
ployers and employed in common interest; how
that community of interest broken how quilts
came to DO controlled by masters who excluded
iourncvmeq from advancement; bow journey ne"
thea organized separately and sought monopoly
Of labor. and how the unions destroyed tho master
mechanics and the guilds only to subject industry
to the creed and oppression of capitalists who bad
no synpathy with the workers. The history OF
labor In The United States before the war. and OF
events prior to 1857. is Of great interest anu value
The editor. 10 the retrospect OF comparatively
distant events is able to grasp and to give some
conceptiou of their meaning. to preserve somethne
of the historical spirit. and TO discriminate with
. certain independence between efforts that were
wise and timely AMI Others that were not Distinct
uufaruess of tone begins to appear. no Hever. whom
tbe writer comments On the opinion Of the Attor-
new ieueral that the eight-hour law was not in
tended TO give ten bours pay for eight lIours work.
The measure hal been advocated on ne theory tha'
II would hcuetit the workers without regard TO anV
increase IN paw per nour. which IL was a"suhio'
would ultimately follow. Bnt it blnnd.rlngH
overlooked the fact that Government could not
properly pay as mach for eight hours work as
similar workingmen throughout the country re-
csived for ten hours work. until It had been made
clear that they could earn much in eight hours
.s m tan. To change the wages Of tue little frag-
ment of Industry directly employ ell the Govern
ment. without public opinion prepare for any
sncn change in the wages of labor otherw lse
emuloyed was not either wise OF practicable.
The contribution by Mr.. Farqnh,r on the history
of printers org t0zatlons quite brief iuainly con
fined to u record of associations. meetings and
names and does not attempt to cast light on th'
question whether at any particular Junct're th'
changes sought by the printers were Wise or th'
m-rto Is adopted just The chapter devoted u
shoe,nakets briefly aud ntegeutly treats Of The
fiscal and educational influence OF the introduction
of III .chinery, aud with UNUSUAL sensc of justice
attributes the failure of many early efforts by I'M
Crispius to the attempt to establish monopoly il
labor on Shoes 1t is OF the best chapters IN th'
book and Vet the entire history since 1860, Devon,
the mere record of organ zstiOus and names, IS SUB
stantially confined to four pages about tho BLOCK
ton strike. Tine chapter ON spinners 10 a mos
painful record Of desperate and costly struggles
with scarcely any INTEL gent account OF the matter
ut ISSUE the condition or wages of the workers, o
the results attained Inc defacation, of treasurer
are treated If they were really cause o
OPPRESSION ami injustice TO tho splnners. ani tn
curtsi. III ent of production by running fewer hour
appears to the writer uDfaling remedy for ev il
in that Industry.
The chapter OH miners is pitifnily inadequate
There are weary pages expended IN recording tn
names and officers OF aretIDg but costly organza
tions which took from tue miners no small part q
their slender Wages, but there Is no evidence tina
any OF them did anything 10 benefit the miners l
return for their sacrifices. The fact is recognize
that COM petition If natural gas ant electricity mn.
affect the wages of miners, but there 10 no hint {
no unwisdom of costly and violent resistance
such an inevitable change. Tho writer job
Mo.irids, of Ohio, WINS leader of the miners in th
long Hooking Valley str Ike. and atfirms that n
better geueralship was ever shown than by th
leaders Of the workingnen in that batte." but Oh